Archive for October, 2013

John King does not have the character to be a public official, never mind the Commissioner of Education for the state of New York.

If there was any resistance to the notion of King’s unsuitability to his position following his now petulant and now arrogant performance before parents in Poughkeepsie, it was surely eviscerated with his astounding statement announcing the suspension of any such remaining meetings. King cited unnamed “special interests” that have “co-opted” and “manipulated “ the forum and made “dialogue” impossible.
King showed very, very little interest in dialogue in his endless monologue on the wonders of the deceitfully named Common Core.
Behind any interpretation of King’s statement lie inescapable conclusions dripping with condescension and contempt with a little incoherence thrown in to spice things up. King’s statement insinuates that the Poughkeepsie parents are so weak and mindless that the opinions and beliefs they stated with such clarity and passion – much of it aimed at King’s and his fellow reformer’s beloved Common Core — were merely lines fed to them by unnamed “special interests, ” meaning, one assumes following reformer logic, the usual suspects, teacher unions. A problem: as Diane Ravitch has pointed out, much to the bewilderment and increasing rage of their members, both the NEA and the AFT strongly support the Common Core standards. Another way of interpreting King’s words: King perceives parents themselves as a “special interest” group – at least those who do not genuflecting before the Common Core.

King’s statement illuminates with horrifying clarity the mindset of corporate reformers: If someone opposes them and their ideas, they are but stooges manipulated and dominated by evil forces, pushed here and there with no more will than a balloon. Those who oppose them are “haters” protecting “the status quo” protecting the right of adults and betraying the children. They have to be wrong because the reformers are right. Always. Even when they are “building an airplane in mid flight” carrying your child.

Period.

King has no problem sharing a stage with insidious billionaire created front groups like Educators 4 Excellence, but has no time for parents driven to the end of their tether by the effects of the very policies King is championing. A public servant who believes it is his job and his right to lecture the public he is well paid to serve is no public servant at all and should not be in public service. King not only does not seem to understand this, he seems to resent it. It is very difficult to believe a man as narcissistic as is King is capable of change. At any rate, it is impossible to believe he will.
King must go. Now. The people who work for us cannot treat us this way.

Read King’s statement below and ask yourself this: have you ever in all your life read a statement from a public official as condescending as this?

Below is the full statement from Commissioner John B. King, Jr.:
“I was looking forward to engaging in a dialogue with parents across the state. I was eagerly anticipating answering questions from parents about the Common Core and other reforms we’re moving ahead with in New York State. Unfortunately, the forums sponsored by the New York State PTA have been co-opted by special interests whose stated goal is to “dominate” the questions and manipulate the forum.
“The disruptions caused by the special interests have deprived parents of the opportunity to listen, ask questions and offer comments. Essentially, dialogue has been denied.
“In light of the clear intention of these special interest groups to continue to manipulate the forum, the PTA-sponsored events scheduled have been suspended. My office will continue to work with PTA to find the appropriate opportunities to engage in a real, productive dialogue with parents about our students and their education.
“Parents don’t deserve to be dominated and manipulated.”

Addendum: the Regents who are, in turn, “elected” by the State Assembly appoint King. If you wish to see King replaced by someone more suitable to the position and more respectful of the parents, children and teachers of New York State, Regent Chair Merryl Tisch and Speaker of the Assembly Sheldon Silver are two key people to contact in addition to your own Assembly-person.